A succession of interconnected environmental factors is believed to contribute substantially to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This exploratory study therefore aims to identify potential risk factors for ASD that are associated with pregnancy, birth and infant feeding. Demographic and health-related data on children aged…

There is limited research that specifically explores paternal involvement during pregnancy and childbirth. To address this gap, we completed a series of focus groups with fathers to examine social, cultural, and environmental factors that influence behaviors among new fathers while also providing community perspectives on men's experiences seeking…

Long-running surveys need a systematic way to reflect social change and to keep items relevant to respondents, especially when they ask about controversial subjects, or they threaten the items' validity. We propose a protocol for updating measures that preserves content and construct validity. First, substantive experts articulate the current and…

This study aims to bring reproductive justice issues to a more in-depth discussion within the field of social work and to explore social work students' understandings and perspectives on these important issues. An extensive qualitative analysis of 90 academic, published, peer-reviewed articles on the topic of reproductive justice was completed.…

School re-entry for pregnant girls and young mothers is increasingly recognized by African governments as a critical measure to improve the education of marginalized adolescents and mitigate school pushout. In Uganda, the high rate of teenage pregnancy, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted the government to approve "Revised…

Teenage pregnancy and motherhood are among the major causes of gender inequality in education in the contemporary global community. This study sought to examine the effectiveness of interventions in redressing the negative effects of schoolgirl pregnancy on teaching and learning at four high schools that experienced high rates of schoolgirl…

Educational efforts to reduce global rates of adolescent pregnancy vary widely with a significant deficiency in the domain of sex education facilitator training. In this study, we sought to establish a pilot approach to comprehensive sex education facilitator training in Riobamba, Ecuador. The approach was aligned with UNESCO recommendations for…

Indigenous adolescents and young people in Panama are at high-risk for sexually transmitted infections, due in part to limited access to condoms and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. There is a paucity of evidence on how to develop sexual and reproductive health education programmes that incorporate different sources of…